Greatest steelheader ever a Californian?

My family has a summer home by the Trinity River between Weaverville and Lewiston CA. Go north on highway 3 to Callahan CA. Take a left to the South Fork of the Salmon River. It dumps into the Klamath, this is were Bill passed away a few years back. This man lived to fish. I fished by Jimmy Green, my dad fished by Ted Trueblood both of which I truly admire. Having said that Bill may be the most consumed steelheader I have ever seen. He holds a place in my heart like no other. The desire, reverence and admiration that Bill had our Royal fish may never be matched. Don't let yourself be fooled, this man WAS the best advocate of the sport we love. If you ever get to the Klamath go to Salmon Forks, and ask where Bill used to live. It is a special place and one of the best steelhead runs you may ever see.

Hooking a wild steelhead on the fly is a profound experience then and now. Made even better by the personal satisfaction of exploration and discovery and connection. The pioneers led the way. It's still there if you work for it. And that's just real cool. Go get it while you can.

"Behold the Fishermen" Bill Schaadt, Russ Chatham's Anglers Coast.
There are a lot of Bill Schaadt stories floating around. Many seem beyond belief by today's standards. Especially when thay are all laid one one guy. Of all that I have heard, or read, no one has ever disputed any.

Anyone know if Jim Green played football in his high school days? And/or what school he may have attended? When? And, rather than hi-jack this thread, pm me on this.

By what metric does one measure the "best" or "greatest" steelheader? Number of steelhead caught? Caught per unit of time? Does the metric assume all steelhead are equal? Is the metric the most steelhead greater than some threshold weight? If it's about numbers or weight, a useful metric would also include equation parameters to cover number of fish in the river, or average weight of fish in a given river. A 20 pound steelhead caught in CA should carry more "weight" than a 20 pound steelhead caught in northern BC, etc.

Personally I think the variables that add up to greatness are too numerous and well, variable, to meaningfully label anybody the greatest steelheader from anywhere.

BTW, from what I've read about him, Schaadt was a heckuva fisherman.

Sg

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You're looking at the wrong metrics. Schaadt was the greatest simply because so many other excellent fishers of his time proclaimed him so.

Unlike Cassius Clay who was the self-proclaimed 'greatest' (and could back it up convincingly!), Schaadt was humble and self-effacing, not at all a student of the shameless self-promotion that seems to characterize so many 'professional' flyfishers today.

I'd throw our own Bob Stroebel in with anybody you got. For tenacity and drive, Bob York caught over 5000 steelhead but was known more for his super intense driven obsession and work ethic than for his angling mastery. He kept it simple and fished every drainage known to man. Stroebel is known is the best among the best in Washington amongst the old dogs. Duff

There is actually some information on Bill in the website www.riversofalostcoast.com if you dig around, here and here. One is a director's statement on Bill and the other is on the rivalry between Bill Schaadt and Ted Lindner, another great fly fisherman, known for his salmon abilities.

I got to be included in the making of this film, and of all those that were interviewed, those of which included Jack Berryman, Russell Chatham, Lani Waller, among other greats, Bill was by far the most talked about and known for his abilities, even amongst those who did not like him. The stories that were told and that are covered in the film are truly great, but there are so many more that were not able to be told due to time. People on the coast still talk about Bill like he is still alive and fishes everyday and you can see it in the eyes of those that were interviewed in the film.

I believe you can read the article online that Russell Chatham wrote on Bill Schaadt somewhere in the Sports Illustrated archives, I can post it if people want to read it. It's a well written article on Bill and gives a great insight into who Bill was as a fisherman and person.

Chatham talks a lot about Schaadt in the film 'Rivers of a Lost Coast', as do many other fly fishermen. People seem to be interested in Schaadt not only because he was such a good fly fisherman, but because he was a very interesting person in general. The film talks quite a bit about this and begins to explore him more as a person. Should be interesting to those who knew Schaadt as just a fly fisherman to see a different side of him.